On The Edge Of The Roman Empire: The Times Between
by bored-now0809
Summary: Glimpses into the lives of the knights- slight AU.  Can stand alone but it will probably make more sense if you read On The Edge of the Roman Empire first
1. The Time Kay Changed His Mind

**AN: Well, I finally got some stuff together for my KA universe. Standard disclaimer applies- I own nothing! except my OCs. I hope that you guys like it...although i must warn you that there is EXTREME fluff and romance in this chapter. Also, this might not make a whole lot of sense if you don't read my other story- On The Edge of the Roman Empire. **

**Winning Over Kay- 2 years after Valeria arrives at the Wall**

It had been a long patrol. Valeria had been at the wall for just over two years; Felix was about a year and a half old and was just starting to walk. In many ways, she was happy with her life here. But she didn't ever think that she would get used to the patrols- especially the long ones.

At three months so far, this was the longest patrol that had happened since she had come to live with Gawain. As each day passed it seemed that the tension and anxiousness became more and more palpable in the air.

"They're back! They're back!" Two came running into the house. "C'mon Auntie Val! Da is back!" He disappeared almost as quickly as he came and Valeria couldn't help but smile a little. Vanora had obviously forced the boy to run down the lane to tell her the knights had returned before he went to greet his father.

She quickly scooped up Felix and ran as fast as she could towards the gate. But the closer she got, the more anxious she felt. There was something in the air, something dark, something angry. Her pace slowed as she saw the knights ahead. Their voices were angry.

As she squeezed her way through the crowd, she could see why. Percival was dead. She gaped at the scene. This was the first time since she'd been there that one of the knights had died. Suddenly her heart squeezed in her chest and she looked for Gawain frantically.

She saw Galahad talking in hushed whispers with Tristan while Vanora and the children crowded around Bors; Lancelot was over with Arthur and none of the others were still in the courtyard. Except for Kay who was glaring darkly at some of the Roman legionaries.

In all the time that she'd been living at the wall, she had managed to become friends or at least on friendly terms with all of the knights. Except for Kay. She usually avoided him and he returned the favor. But she couldn't go home without seeing Gawain- whether he was alive or dead. Swallowing hard, she approached Kay.

"What'd'ya want?" Kay grunted when she got closer to him. He never took his eyes of the Roman soldiers. Before she could say anything, one of the bigger, stupider looking soldiers turned and pushed Kay back against a wagon. Valeria jumped back in surprise.

"That's no way to talk to a Roman lady." The soldier grunted. Obviously he was one of the new troops sent up to the wall not to recognize her as one of the knights' ladies. Valeria watched as Kay's face darkened and she just knew that the situation wouldn't end well. All she could foresee was a fight or Kay getting sent to the goal. Or both. Her worry for Gawain and her nerves caused her to lose her grip on her temper.

"Stop that this instant." She said sharply to the guard. He turned and blinked at her stupidly.

"But-"

"I said let him go." Valeria said slowly. There was no mistaking her upper class Latin accent. The guard let Kay go and stood back as though waiting for more orders. She just glared at him for a moment before turning back to Kay. "Where's Gawain?" She asked him sharply in Sarmatian.

"Infirmary." Kay grudgingly admitted. Her face paled and without another word she dashed off towards the infirmary.

"Why's she speaking to you in your devil tongue?" The Roman grunted. Kay snorted and didn't answer. Although he did hear some of the soldiers grunt some disgusting and disparaging comments about the girl. Kay ignored it and slammed out of the courtyard only one thought echoing through his mind.

_Percival was dead._

Percival and Kay had been from the same village and they had been among the first of the group of knights collected. It seemed to Kay that without Percival here, he wasn't himself. He didn't know who he was without his brother knight.

As he got to his quarters and changed out of his filthy clothes, he thought about the scene he had just been a part of in the courtyard. He hadn't realized that the girl had learned to speak Sarmatian. He grimaced at the thought- he had said some things to her in his native tongue thinking that she wouldn't be able to understand.

The sorrow he felt about Percival's death just seemed to clench in his stomach a little bit more as he felt guilty for some of the things he had said to her. Some of them very similar to what the Roman soldiers had just said about her in the courtyard. And considering that he and Gawain had been getting along lately, he knew the girl hadn't told. He felt his stomach twist again and began to wonder if he was getting stomach flu. He decided to go to the infirmary.

"It's just a scratch, Valeria." He heard Gawain's voice from down the hall as he approached the infirmary. Kay stood in the doorway and watched the group inside.

"Then why is Dagonet stitching it up?" She asked back, jiggling the baby causing him to squeal in delight. Gawain grinned at her and Kay could tell that it was the grin Gawain used to charm women. He was sort of surprised when the girl just frowned at him. Gawain laughed and held an arm out for her. She went to sit on the pallet next to him, on his uninjured side.

"Don't worry, love. It'll heal in no time." Gawain whispered with a soft look and then winced in pain. Dagonet was still stitching him up.

"I'll get some of the burn paste to take home." Valeria said and kissed his brow before turning to the shelves where Dagonet kept his healing supplies. She saw Kay standing in the doorway and paused upon seeing him. "Oh, hello." She greeted.

"Hello." He replied standing awkwardly in the door. Dagonet and Gawain looked over to the door where he stood.

"Kay!" Gawain greeted jovially. Kay couldn't help but smile in return. Despite his infatuation with the girl, Kay had always like Gawain. It was hard not to, really.

"Are you injured?" Dagonet asked focusing back on his task.

"Stomachache." Kay grunted in reply. Dagonet paused, as though considering Kay's request. This pause caused Gawain to complain about him never finishing with his own wound. Dagonet chuckled and turned back to the stitching.

"Valeria, can you make Kay a tea with the chamomile?" Dagonet asked.

"Of course." She replied after a slight hesitation. She looked around for somewhere to put the baby; she could tell that Gawain was in pain even though he was trying to hide it. It wouldn't be good for him to hold a very active Felix until Dagonet had finished with his work. Kay had sat down in one of the empty chairs in the far corner of the room and was staring absently out the window.

"I'll hold him while you make the tea." Kay grunted seeing her dilemma. Valeria hesitated for a moment, recalling some of the things Kay had said in the past about her darling Felix, but after an initial moment of hesitation, she gave him the baby. No one would be fool enough to hurt Felix right in front of Gawain, injured or not.

Kay looked at the baby in his arms. Felix babbled happily and grinned at Kay; it was a funny grin since a few of his teeth had come in. Kay smiled tentatively back causing Felix to giggle and clap his hands. Percival had always said that Gawain's baby was a happy and charming child, but he had never wanted to see that; he'd only wanted to see that the boy was half Roman. Now, looking at Felix, all he could see was Sarmatian. He wondered if Percival was right about the girl too; that she was good for Gawain.

"I'll take that from you." Gawain said after Dagonet finished wrapping a bandage around his wound. Hoisting Felix in the air, Gawain grimaced a bit in pain but it soon faded into a smile at his son's squeal of delight.

"Gawain, you'll pull your stitches." Dagonet said in exasperation.

"Don't be so serious, Dag." Gawain whipped back at his friend. Dagonet gave Gawain a put

upon look that Kay had seen many times from the large night.

"Maybe you could be a little bit serious until the stitches come out." Valeria said coming back over, having finished the tea. She handed the mug to Kay and then took the baby back from Gawain.

"Da!" Felix said reaching out for his father.

"When did that happen?" Gawain asked in joyful surprise as Dagonet expressed his own congratulations. Valeria beamed at Gawain and Dagonet.

"Just the other day. He says 'Mama' too, but his favorite word is 'Da'." Valeria said. Gawain took the baby back and sat back down on the pallet, a pleased grin on his face.

"Favorite, huh?" Valeria sat next to Gawain and they both watched Felix as though expecting him to talk again. Dagonet rolled his eyes, not expecting a show anytime soon.

"I must go and prepare for tonight." Dagonet said quietly and exited the infirmary. It was his duty to prepare Percival for the burial tonight. As Dagonet nodded his good-byes, a somber mood once again settled on the room.

"The funeral is to be tonight?" Valeria asked quietly. Gawain nodded. He handed the baby back to her and let his head drop to his hands. Kay shifted a bit awkwardly in his seat. They had obviously forgotten that he was there.

"Aye. We always do them the first night back. It helps us show our respect to the…dead." Gawain said. To Kay's surprise, the girl didn't say anything at first. She just leaned into Gawain's side and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. All the women that Kay had met before would've taken the opportunity to wail and lament Percival's fate, or try to get him to talk about his "feelings". When she did speak, it was not what Kay expected.

"I should still be able to wear my black mourning dress, and I'm sure I can find some black cloth for Felix." Gawain turned sharply, dislodging her head from his shoulder.

"You don't have to." He said after a moment of hesitation. Valeria looked a bit confused.

"Would it be better for me not to wear black? I don't want to offend your traditions." She said and Gawain sighed, putting an arm around her.

"I meant you don't have to come, love." He said in a low voice. Kay had to strain to hear them now.

"But why wouldn't I?" Valeria asked and Kay could tell from her tone that she was genuinely confused.

"It won't be happy." Gawain said after a moment of hesitation.

"I hardly expected it to be."

"Valeria, I want you to have a good life here. One you can be proud of. Be with a man you can be proud of. Going to funerals hardly fits that picture." Gawain said trying to explain to her why he didn't want her to come to the funeral.

"I_ am_ happy here, Gawain. And you _are_ a man to be proud of. There's more to this, to us, than just having fun." He looked about to protest, but she continued. "I do have fun with you. But I love you and that means more than the good times. It means being there for you in the bad times. I know that you'll have to be there for everyone else. They'll all look to you to ease their pain. And you'll do it, but I know that you'll be hurting just as much. Let me be there for _you_ for once. You're always there for me and Felix, for your brother knights, even for Elspeth and Gaius. Let me take care of you."

Gawain leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. Just a mere press of the lips, but it expressed all of his feelings far more eloquently than any words could.

"C'mon, let's go home." He said and they left the infirmary, still not realizing that Kay had witnessed their entire conversation.

Kay watched them as they left, putting his tea back on the table only half drunk. He knew what the strange twisting was in his gut now. It was guilt. Not only guilt for Percival's death, but the guilt from how he had been treating (what amounted to after the scene he just witnessed), Gawain's wife.

Kay stood next to Gawain at the funeral on purpose. He let his brother knight comfort him as the rites were said. And he saw the girl, the Roman girl who he had held in contempt due to none of her own fault cry over the loss of a man she had barely known. He swore that he would no longer resent her presence. He would accept her in their lives and even be thankful that she was there.

And the next day, if the Roman Legionaries who had black eyes and bruises in the shapes of Kay's fists happened to be the ones who had spewed insults at Valeria the morning before, it must've just been some sort of strange coincidence.

**AN: So there you go...this is the proof that I am really sappy and romantic. I just can't seem to help it! Hopefully I'll be able to do humor in a couple of the other ones…but to those of you who like my sappy and romantic side don't worry- there will be more romance to come! Please review and let me know what you think. Also, if you have a suggestion/scene you would like to see let me know and I will get on it!**


	2. Pregnancy Times Two

**AN: So the next chapter! thanks to everyone who reviewed so far...it means a lot. And just to let you know, these aren't going to be in any particular order (this one takes place before the first Chapter in this collection). I will put them in some context before the story starts but, like I mentioned before, it would be best to read On the Edge of the Roman Empire just to keep everything in context :)**

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

**Pregnancy Times Two**

_This takes place at the End of Part I plus two years. Valeria and Vanora are pregnant at the same time- Valeria with Lucia and Vanora with 10_

Gawain shoved Bors, causing him to trip and crash into the wall as they ran down the corridors of the keep. Bors cursed and ran after his brother knight. He managed to catch up to Gawain and pulled his friend's hair sharply, causing Gawain to lose his balance. Gawain cursed and latched onto Bors' shoulders as he spun around to prevent himself from falling.

"NO! You've dealt with this before! I should go!" Gawain cried out anxiously.

"It don't matter how many times I've dealt with it, I'm not dealing with it times two!" Bors grunted back, shaking off Gawain and continuing his dash around the corridors.

"There he is!" Gawain shouted out with a hint of panic in his tone. He and Bors exchanged a glance before running towards their quarry, only slowing down in order to prevent the other from getting their first. They skidded to a stop at the same time, still grappling a little bit and slapping at each other's hands.

"Bors, Gawain." Arthur said a little warily. He had never seen Bors and Gawain act so…desperate. As two of his bravest and most loyal knights, he felt himself become anxious at _their_ obvious nerves.

"Arthur, you have to let me go on patrol." They said it at the same time, which caused them to shoot each other a fierce glare.

"Ooookkkaaay." Arthur drawled out. "And why do we want to go on patrol when there haven't been any recent Woad incursions or missions from Rome?" Arthur felt his nervousness slowly turn into annoyance as the knights exchanged diffident looks. Apparently they didn't want to tell him.

"Erm, we can't ahhh let the Woads get too comfortable?" Gawain said, although it came out as more of a question than a statement. Arthur looked at Gawain skeptically and Gawain looked to Bors for some support.

"Right!" Bors agreed. "They get too damn comfortable and who knows what the dirty bastards will get up to next time we do have a mission from Rome." Arthur looked slightly more convinced and Gawain seized the opportunity.

"Besides, it'll be good to get out of the fort and see more of the countryside." Gawain continued while nodding his head enthusiastically. Arthur narrowed his eyes Gawain. Gawain suggesting that he needed to be out on the Island? Something was seriously wrong.

"Err…Right!" Bors agreed, slightly worried by the how Arthur's eyes had narrowed.

"Alright. Enough of this. What is really going with you two?" Arthur stared at them and to his surprise; both Gawain and Bors looked down at the floor as though embarrassed. "Gawain? Bors? Tell me now."

"You tell him." Bors said giving Gawain a shove.

"No you!" Gawain said shoving back. This went back and forth for a few moments, until Arthur was finally fed up with their antics.

"Enough! I demand that one of you tell me now!" He glared at the both of them for another long moment. "Gawain. Tell me now why you two are so insistent to go on this patrol." Gawain mumbled something and Arthur sighed in exasperation.

"Alright! Bloody…Vanora and Valeria are both pregnant and they're…well they're scary." Bors started out yelling, but by the end of his outburst, he was whispering. However, Arthur scoffed at this explanation.

"Come now, they're just women!" Arthur paused to give his knights a disappointed look at Gawain's undignified snort and Bors' groan of apparent agony. "Bors, I'm surprised at your attitude. Vanora has been pregnant before." Before Bors could answer Arthur turned to Gawain. "And Gawain, I'm disappointed in you. You missed most of Valeria's first pregnancy. Now is your chance to be with her to experience the miracle of life from the very beginning. Would you give that up to court death by patrolling for Woads?"

Bors and Gawain exchanged a look. They knew that there would be no point to just give Arthur a simple answer (although shouting 'yes!' loudly and repeatedly was very tempting); Arthur was painfully ignorant to the reality of living and dealing with women. They would have to explain. They were just thankful that none of the other knights were around to witness this. However, soon Galahad walked up and Bors groaned. Of all the knights to overhear it had to be Galahad?

"What are you talking about?" Galahad asked curiously. It wasn't often that Arthur looked so annoyed while Gawain AND Bors were…sheepish. The two Sarmatians glared at Galahad, but that only made the younger knight more curious.

"Gawain and Bors were just going to explain why they need to go on patrol so they could escape their pregnant…er…women." Arthur said a bit awkwardly. Galahad snorted in amusement.

"You two were serious about that?" He asked and laughed. He managed to smother his laughs when he saw the murderous looks he was receiving from his much larger brother knights. "I mean, of course you were serious. Go ahead; tell Arthur why you need to escape Vanora and Valeria."

Bors and Gawain looked between Arthur, who looked at them with a slight look of incredulity and patience, and Galahad who was smirking at them. They exchanged a look before they nodded at each other.

"Vanora's just sick all the time. I mentioned once that it was odd she was putting on so much weight when she couldn't hold down her food, she locked me out of the house!" Bors started. Galahad snickered at Bors' statement.

"When I can home from training the other day, Valeria was just…sobbing." Gawain continued. He shuddered. "I asked her what was wrong, and she said there was nothing wrong. So I got worried and figured that something was wrong with Felix, and she just…I don't know how else to say this." Gawain said and met their eyes seriously. "She went crazy. All of the sudden she yelled that I didn't care about her and only loved Felix…" Gawain trailed off and rubbed his hand over his face. "It took me nearly two hours to get her calmed down. Then I asked what was for dinner and she just started yelling." Gawain threw his hands up. "I didn't know what to do!"

"So the wanker brought her over to my house." Bors said with a growl. "Vanora finally let me back in, but she let _them_ come in too." Bors gave Gawain a shove and Gawain glared back.

"How was I to know that you didn't know how to handle Vanora when she was pregnant!" Gawain exploded. "You already have nine children!" Bors growled and it looked like they might fight, but Arthur interrupted them.

"Bors! Gawain! Stop fighting, tell me what happened."

"They made us talk about our feelings." Gawain whispered. He and Bors looked at each other and then quickly looked away.

"What?" Galahad choked out laughing.

"We bloody well had to tell them what we're feeling! And listen for God knows how long about what _they _were feeling!" Bors exploded.

"It was never ending." Gawain added solemnly. "Talk about the sickness and how they feel so vulnerable and ugly and are we sure that we really love them and…" Gawain was interrupted by Arthur.

"Alright! Alright!" Arthur cried out, his face slightly green. He'd always thought that Vanora had to have the patience of a saint to put up with Bors and Valeria had always seemed so soft spoken and respectable. Who knew the evil those two were truly capable of?

"Well? Can we go? At least a quick trip to Londinium?" Gawain begged. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Yes, well. I suppose that we should check in with Londinium and see how things are going." Arthur nodded, fully decided. "Gawain, Bors. We leave at once." Arthur nodded at them and turned to walk away and pack his gear. He decided he would go too; he didn't want Valeria or Vanora to run into him and ask why he had sent their men away. He shuddered in horror at the thought of that possible confrontation.

"Yes!" Gawain crowed in victory. He pumped his fist in the air and turned to Bors who clasped his hand on Gawain's shoulder; his own show of happiness at their successful plan.

"All of our gear is packed?" Bors asked and Gawain nodded in reply like an eager puppy. "Let's go then." Bors said with a grin. They turned to go to the stables, but were stopped by Galahad.

"Who's gonna go tell Valeria and Vanora?" Galahad asked with a bit of a smirk. Gawain felt all the color drain from his face as he gaped at Galahad. Bors cursed loudly. And repeatedly.

"You tell them." Bors said, punching Gawain in the shoulder.

"No, you." Gawain said shoving Bors. Both men looked at each other assessingly for a moment, before they began to scuffle in earnest.

Galahad watched the scene amused. But he made a mistake was when he began to chortle at his friends; drawing their attention to him. Bors had Gawain in a headlock, but they both paused in their fight and, as one, lunged towards Galahad. Bors attacked the top and Gawain the bottom. Between the two them, they managed to overpower Galahad…

OOOoooOOO

At first Vanora thought that the knocking at the door was just her headache getting even worse. But then she heard some sort of shuffling and thumping and the distinct sound of a horse's bridle jingling and hoofs prancing away. She frowned and went to the door.

There on her doorstep was a trussed up Galahad, glaring down the lane. She looked in the direction he was glaring and saw Bors and Gawain riding away as though an army of Woads was after them. She sighed; she hated their childish pranks when she was sore, pregnant, and had a killer headache. She undid the gag that bound Galahad's mouth.

"What'd you do this time?" Vanora asked with a sigh.

"Alright, now don't be mad…"

Galahad learned that next time he should give Vanora bad news _after_ he was untied.

**AN: Review! Let me know what you think. I have a couple more chapters that I'm proofing right now, but any ideas that you have would be welcome**


	3. Story Time

**AN: Standard disclaimer applies...i own nothing. Not even the fairy tale that they tell in this story**

**Also- this story takes place in between Parts I and II of On the Edge, sometime before Lucia is born. **

"Mama! Story! Story!" Felix called clapping his hands with a happy smile. Valeria smiled tiredly at her son. The day had been long and unusually hot for this time of year.

"A story, huh?" Gawain said coming into the nursery. He was absently eating the last of the bread, but smiled at Valeria and Felix. Valeria smiled back.

Gawain and the other knights had been back at the fort for over a month. She was so happy to have him home, but the longer he stayed, it felt like any day he would have to go back out. She shuddered and as though reading her thoughts, Gawain bent down and kissed her head.

"Eww! You'll get crumbs in my hair!" She complained with a laugh. Gawain grinned, but anything that he might've said was interrupted by Felix; Felix throwing one of his wooden figurines at his parents to be precise.

"Story! Now!" Felix demanded. Both Gawain and Valeria shared a smile and looked down at the animal that Felix had thrown. It was a little red hen. Remembering a story that Vanora had shared with her to help her remember how to make bread, Valeria went to the shelf and quickly got down the other animals that Gawain had made while she had been pregnant.

"Alright, one story and then you have to go to sleep." Valeria said. Felix looked up at his parents with a guileless look on his face. Gawain chuckled as he looked between the two of them. Felix loved stories and Valeria loved telling stories; it was highly unlikely that they would just have one story tonight or any other night. Valeria gave Gawain a serious look, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Red hen! Red hen!" Felix cried out impatiently.

"Once upon a time, a little red hen lived in a small cottage. One day, when the little red hen was out walk ing with her friends, the goose, the cat, and the pig, she found a few grains of wheat. 'Who will help me plant this wheat?' asked the little red hen." Valeria began. Felix grinned and laid down as his parents sat by the side of his bed.

"'Not I,' said the goose, 'I'd rather swim in the pond.'" Gawain said punctuating each sentence with a honk like a goose. "'Not I,' said the cat, 'I'd rather sleep on the hay.'" He continued, taking the carved cat figure and making it walk across Felix's bed. Felix clapped his hands happily causing Gawain and Valeria to share a smile. "'Not I,' said the pig, 'I'd rather lie in the mud.'" And much to Felix's delight Gawain made a squelching noise that really did resemble a pig lying down in the mud. Clearing her throat from laughter, Valeria continued the story.

"'Then I'll do it myself,' said the little red hen. And she did. Time went by and the wheat grew, but so did the weeds. 'Who will help me pull the weeds?' asked the little red hen." Valeria continued and Felix looked expectantly at his father for his favorite part of the story.

"'Not I,' said the goose, 'I'd rather swim in the pond.' 'Not I,' said the cat, 'I'd rather sleep on the hay.' 'Not I,' said the pig, 'I'd rather lie in the mud.'" Gawain repeated making all the same noises as before and reveling in the laughs of his son.

The story went on for a bit as the red hen harvested the wheat, ground it into flour, and baked it into bread. Valeria continued with the part of the red hen and narrator and Gawain kept Felix giggling with his rendition of the lazy goose, cat, and pig. Finally, they reached the end of the story.

"…At last, the bread was baked and the goose, the cat and the pig smelled the fresh baked bread that the little red hen had made."

"'I will help you eat that bread!' the goose quacked out. 'Me too!' the cat meowed. 'Save some for me!' the pig oinked." Gawain took the carvings and moved them around where Felix was laying, making the animals jump up and down in excitement for the bread.

"'Oh, no you won't!" said the little red hen. 'I found the wheat, I planted it, I weeded it, and when it was time to harvest it, I did that too. I took it to the mill to be ground into flour and at last, I baked it into bread. Now, I'm going to eat it!' And she did." Valeria finished up with a smile. Gawain chuckled as Felix struggled against sleep.

"Nother." Felix requested with a bit of a yawn and a pout in his voice. Gawain chucked Felix under the chin before standing up to put the toys back on the shelf.

"I don't know little man. I think that you look ready to go to bed."

"More story." Felix said before yawning wide. He looked at his parents expectantly.

"Maybe just one more." Valeria said with a bit of a smile. Gawain snorted and moved to sit on the chair and watch as Valeria re-tucked Felix into bed and sat beside him, smoothing down their son's wayward blonde curls.

"Once upon a time…" Valeria began again and Gawain watched and listened with a fond smile on his face. He only wished that he never had to leave them.

**AN: Please review! It helps me get these up faster with reviews :) **


	4. The Last Time Galahad Ever Babysat

**AN: Well, I decided to update! Sorry about the delay but I've been really busy with life and the lack of feedback has sort made me think that no one is that interested in this story anymore. I'm going to still work on it (I have a few more pieces in the works). Hopefully someone out there is still reading and enjoying **

**Timeline: End of Movie +2 Years**

"Galahad, we really appreciate this." Valeria said walking into the main room where Galahad was waiting with Felix and Lucia. She smiled when the tips of Galahad's ears turned red, indicating he was embarrassed.

"It's no problem Valeria. You and Gawain deserve to have a nice night out together." He said and she leaned up and kissed his cheek, causing Galahad to blush in earnest.

"Hey, pup, keep away from my woman." Gawain said grinning as he came in from the children's room carrying their youngest, Morwen.

"Gawa-" Galahad began to complain, but was interrupted by the baby.

"Gal-Gal!" She cried reaching out for Galahad. Gawain chuckled and dumped his youngest daughter in Galahad's arms. The youngest knight was no longer quite as awkward with babies as he had been the first time he held Felix, but he was always slightly afraid of dropping the baby. Especially with Morwen since she seemed to like to squirm as much as possible.

"C'mon, love, let's leave Gal-Gal with the kids." Gawain said putting an arm around Valeria. She whacked him lightly for teasing Galahad, but any censure was pretty ineffective considering the smile on her face. They went over to kiss Felix and Lucia good night before leaving for their romantic evening.

"Alright, so what do you want to do first?" Galahad asked the older two while he grappled with Morwen. His attention on the baby, he missed the look that Felix and Lucia exchanged.

"Can we have dinner?" Lucia asked innocently. Galahad looked over to the table, where Valeria must have laid out the evening meal for him and the children before leaving. Galahad sighed in relief.

"Of course! Come on; let's see what your mother left for us." He said and they all moved to the table. Galahad struggled to get settled with Morwen as Felix and Lucia sat in front of their bowls of stew. "Erm, how does your mother do this?" He asked and saw the two children looking at him with unreadable expressions as he tried to settle and feed the baby.

"Dunno." Felix said with a shrug. He returned to his food, playing with one of his toys while he ate. Galahad frowned.

"Are you allowed to play at the table?" He asked and was a bit intimidated by the look that little Lucia gave him.

"Why wouldn't we be?" She asked and Galahad felt himself blushing.

"Erm…ok." Galahad shrugged and managed to get spoonful of porridge into Morwen. He smiled proudly and Morwen babbled back at him. A loud crash caused him to look over at the other two.

"I dropped my toy." Felix said. He continued to stare and Galahad could only give him a blank look in return. "Can you pick it up for me?"

"Sure." Galahad shrugged with a curious expression. He set Morwen on the floor and then went over to the other side of the table and leaned down to pick up Felix's toy. Suddenly he felt himself covered in something warm. "Gah!" Galahad said leaping back.

"Oops." Lucia said with a completely innocent look on her face. Galahad frowned but merely shrugged. It was an accident, right?

"No problem. Just watch your sister for a minute while I wash this out of my hair." Galahad went to pick up Morwen off the floor, but she was gone. "Where'd she go?" He asked. He wasn't that worried though. How far could a little baby like Morwen get?

"Maybe she went outside?" Felix said and pointed to the back down. Galahad cursed at the sight of the open door- he had sworn that the door was closed.

"Ooohh…you said a bad word." Lucia said and Galahad thought that he saw her smirking at him. He shook his head; surely that was just his imagination.

"I'll be right back; I'll go find your sister." He said and went out the back door into the garden. "Morwen?" He called out hesitantly. He frowned. It was really dark out here. He thought that there would've been more light from the house. He turned around and the door was closed. Galahad cursed again before marching back to bang on the door, the stew dripping from his hair into his collar.

"Felix! Lucia! Let me back in!" Galahad called out. He heard a sort of scuffling noise and what he guessed was childish laughter.

"Who's there?" Felix called from the house. Galahad grit his teeth together wondering how he ever could've thought that Felix and Lucia were innocent and sweet.

"It's me!"

"Me who?" Lucia's voice came and he could swear that he heard them giggling.

"At least tell me that Morwen is inside with you." Galahad begged feeling a little bit worried. He was sure Valeria would kill him for losing one of her children. She seemed to be fond of the little devils, Galahad thought with an irritated twist to his lips.

"She's here." Felix said and Galahad let out a sigh of relief.

"Can you let me in?" He asked in a cajoling voice.

"We're not supposed to let strangers in." Felix called back and Galahad looked up to the sky and counted to ten before answering.

"It's me. Galahad. Can I come in now?" He asked trying to keep his irritation from showing.

"I don't know…" Lucia said and Galahad swore that he was never babysitting for Gawain and Valeria again.

"C'mon! Let me in!" He cried. There was a bit of silence and shuffling. He could hear the two of them whispering to each other.

"Alright." Felix said at last and to Galahad's relief the door opened. He quickly stepped inside before they could change their mind. He sighed in relief as he spotted Morwen sitting on the floor by the table. He closed and bolted the door and glanced at the older two before going to Morwen. This time he noticed the look they exchanged.

"Nothing." Lucia said before Galahad could even pose a question. Then she gave a fake yawn. "Time for bed!" And without another word, she and Felix ran into their bedroom. Galahad frowned at them before turning to Morwen.

"Bollocks!" Galahad cursed loudly as he looked at the baby. She had steak and kidney pie smeared all over her mouth. Galahad knew a few things about each of Gawain's children and their eating habits. Felix's favorite dinner was chicken pot pie. Lucia loved all sweet things, the sweeter the better. And steak and kidney pie gave Morwen fierce and almost instant diarrhea. "Bollocks!" He cursed again as Morwen's face scrunched up and she cried as a horrible, horrible smell filled the air.

Galahad resigned himself to an awful night filled with smelly diapers and a crying baby; being covered in stew suddenly became the least of his problems. He changed Morwen's diaper and placed the baby on the floor, holding the soiled diaper in his hand, wondering what he was supposed to do with it. It was really gross and he couldn't believe that Valeria would want to keep the gross thing; surely it would be better to just toss this one rather than try to clean it.

He decided to toss it out into the backyard figuring that neither Gawain nor Valeria would want the stench in the house no matter what they decided to do with the diaper itself. As he walked to the door, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at Morwen who had managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

He chuckled to himself wondering how such an innocent looking being could make such a stench. However, his momentary distraction caused him to trip over some toys that seemed to have sprouted up while he was changing the incredibly smelly diaper. Which was unfortunately what he landed on when he fell to the ground. Hard. He longed for earlier in the evening when the thick viscous fluid covering his tunic was stew.

"That is _it_!" Galahad hissed. He chucked the diaper out the back door and stomped towards Felix and Lucia's room. He slammed the door open and took a deep breath getting ready to lay down the law. But the room was empty.

"BOLLOCKS!" Galahad yelled at the top of his lungs. Which caused Morwen to wake up from her light doze in the main room and start crying. Loudly. Galahad sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, grimacing right after he did, not really wanting to know if what he inadvertently rubbed all over his head was the stew or something…else.

Ignoring the baby for a moment, he went into Valeria and Gawain's room and stripped off his filthy tunic and grabbed one of Gawain's and put it on. It was much too large on him, but it didn't smell like crap, so it was a definite upgrade. Grabbing several diaper cloths, he went back to the other room and grabbed a screaming Morwen. He would have to go all over the fort to find Felix and Lucia and he wasn't sure how many times he would have to change Morwen. Galahad cursed again at the thought of Felix and Lucia giving their sister diarrhea on purpose.

As Galahad stormed out of the door of the house, he paused for a moment, wondering where the two of them would have gone. Gawain and Valeria had gone to the tavern, so he figured that they wouldn't have gone there. One was taking care of Vanora and Bors' children at their house and he knew that Lucia was best friends with Ten. But would they go there? Galahad sighed and decided that he should start there since he didn't really know where else to look. He figured that One might have some ideas.

Thankfully, Bors' house was only a short walk down the lane. But by the time Galahad reached it, Morwen had had another attack. Galahad grimaced as he knocked on the door. One answered looking rather irritated but her irritation turned quickly to a concern once she took in the sight of Galahad carrying a crying and _smelly_ Morwen- with Felix and Lucia nowhere in sight.

"What's this then?" One asked. Galahad heaved a dramatic sigh. One replied by arching her eyebrow, looking eerily like her mother. Galahad swallowed hard.

"Felix and Lucia disappeared." He muttered under his breath. "Are they here?"

"Are they here? _Are they here?_" One repeated incredulously. Galahad gave her an irritated look.

"Yes, One. I am a horrible person. I lost track of the two little monsters that did nothing but make my life miserable the whole night! I don't know how their mother hasn't murdered them in their sleep yet!" One took in Galahad's almost wild appearance, the hysterical tenor of his voice, and the desperate look in his eyes. She took pity on him.

"Give me the baby and go check with Two, Gilly, and Lucan down by the pond." Galahad quickly handed over Morwen, who was still crying and sporting a dirty diaper. One scrunched up her nose.

"They fed her steak and kidney pie." Galahad explained and ran towards the pond before One could change her mind. He heard her cursing him behind him and for the first time that night a smile crossed his face.

Galahad made excellent time to the pond. He figured that it must've been desperation that was driving him. After seeing how evil their spawn was, he figured that Valeria and Gawain (who seemed strangely attached to the horrible monsters) would figure out even _more_ effective ways to torture him. When he arrived at the pond, Galahad almost fell to his knees in relief. They were there.

"Why are you two here again?" He heard Lucan ask. Galahad didn't give Lucia and Felix a chance to answer.

"That's a very good question!" He roared jumping out of the bushes. Lucan took in Galahad's wild appearance and looked at his two siblings in slight disbelief.

"I'm out." Lucan said shaking his head and going back over to where Two and Gilly were splashing in the water. Galahad stormed over to the other two who started babbling excuses, but Galahad didn't listen. He just grabbed their hands and stomped back to Bors and Vanora's house to pick up Morwen. One looked like she wanted to say something but just silently handed Galahad the baby once she saw the look on his face.

Galahad put Felix in the middle and he took one hand while Lucia took the other. He carried the sleeping baby with his free arm. He just couldn't believe the trouble that these two caused. He had always thought that it was Bors' children who were terrors. He had severely underestimated how diabolical Gawain's children were.

"What were you two thinking? Did you have any idea how worried I was?" Galahad burst out as soon as they arrived back at the house. Felix had the good grace to look a bit ashamed of himself, but Lucia merely sniffed at him and put her nose up in the air. "What's that look for?"

"Dunno." Lucia answered sullenly, refusing to look at Galahad. Instead she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Whatever." Galahad muttered as he felt something drip from his hair down his back. He quickly put the children to bed, making sure that the door was opened and he sat in the doorway watching them. Well, glowering at them really. Soon he heard the door open and Valeria and Gawain were walking into the house. Well, stumbling and laughing as they entered the house. They stopped when they saw Galahad and the state that he was in. Despite the clean tunic, he looked awful. And they didn't really know why he would be sitting in the doorway to the children's room.

"Er- Galahad?" Gawain asked walking over to his friend. Valeria looked around the house, which was in as state of complete disarray.

"What happened?" She asked a bit alarmed.

"I'm never babysitting again!" Galahad whined. And without another word he left the house, slamming the door behind him and muttering about needing a bath and drink. Gawain and Valeria exchanged bewildered looks before going into the children's room. Felix was sound asleep and they bent down and gave him a kiss before turning to Lucia; who was wide awake and looking at them with a frown on her face.

"What are you still doing up?" Valeria said with a smile, sitting on the end of Lucia's bed. Her daughter turned over and looked up at her with a slightly defiant look at her face.

"You can't leave again." She said petulantly. Gawain sat down on the other side of the bed and exchanged a look with Valeria.

"What are you talking about little missy." He said chucking her under the chin.

"Why don't you want to spend time with us anymore?" She whined. Valeria looked at a bit of a loss, but Gawain just laughed.

"Is that why Galahad looked like he was ready to spit nails? What did you two do to him?" He asked and Lucia merely frowned and pulled the covers up over her head.

"C'mon, fess up." Gawain said as he and Valeria moved to lower the covers.

"Why don't you want to be with us?" Lucia asked again. They heard the door open and Lucan come in the house.

"You go. I'll talk to her." Valeria said and Gawain nodded kissing both girls before going to greet Lucan and make sure the boy was alright. "Lucia, your father and I love you and your brothers and sister very much. But we need some time to ourselves too." She tried to explain.

"No- everything's different. Morwen makes everything different and now you and Da are going away without us." She sniffled and Valeria sighed.

"Sweetie, we'll always love you kids. But everything changes. Life is full of them, and that's not really an excuse to torture poor Galahad." She said trying to get Lucia to smile. She did a little bit and Valeria leaned in to give her another kiss. "Good night."

"Night Mummy." Lucia returned before turning over in bed and going to sleep herself.

As Valeria walked back into the main room, she saw the mess that Felix and Lucia had made and wrinkled her nose at the smell of Morwen's accident still lingering in the air. Gawain and Lucan had made an effort to start cleaning up the food from the floor and she joined them sighing.

"I guess we can't really leave them with Galahad." She said mournfully. Gawain laughed and she gave him a half-hearted glare. He shrugged.

"Is it wrong that I'm sort of proud of them for how much thought they put into this?" Gawain asked. Before Valeria could answer, Morwen started crying.

"Let me answer that by saying- you can change your daughter's diaper." Valeria and Lucan laughed as Gawain groaned. As he was changing Morwen he couldn't help but hope that in the future, Felix and Lucia would use their skills for good instead of evil. Or at least that they would stop feeding their sister steak and kidney pie.

**AN: Hope that you enjoyed that! Review and let me know what you think **


	5. A Time to Mourn

**AN: This one goes out to Haewoni! Thanks for the reviews and the support. This is a bit of a departure from the previous chapters in this story- it's sad and there is some OC character death (although the ending is a little more upbeat than I had planned. I think I'm incapable of doing pure angst. I get enough of that in real life!). After this one, I will probably back track in time a little bit for the next chapter. **

_Loss_

_End of movie +10 years _

Gawain didn't know what to say to the midwife. All he heard was a rushing sound in his ears ever since she'd told him the news.

Valeria was dead.

The child was stillborn.

_Valeria was dead._

He didn't really know how to comprehend that. He knew that childbirth was always risky and this baby had been a surprise, but Valeria wasn't much over thirty…they should've had plenty more years together.

He blinked and looked around the room. Vanora was in the corner with his two girls. Lucia was just twelve and crying hysterically. And ten year old Morwen was looking down at the floor, obviously trying to hold back her own tears. His younger daughter had always been a quiet creature. Although she looked more like him she had always been soft spoken like her mother; Valeria was the only one who seemed to understand Morwen. Gawain had no idea what to say to either daughter.

He met Lucan's eyes and saw his foster son clap Felix on the shoulder. Declan, his youngest, looked at his father hopefully, as though he thought that if Gawain said his mother was alright it would be true. Gawain strode purposefully out of the house ignoring everything else but his own need to escape from the oppressive weight he could feel burning through his chest. He could hear voices, people whose voices he should recognize, calling after him. But he shut it out. All he could feel was pain ripping into him. He couldn't stay in that little house where his wife's body was.

Gawain stayed out by the lake all day. No one came to find him and he was grateful. He needed this time, this day, to be by himself. He knew that once he went back, he would have to be strong and there would be no Valeria there to touch his hand during the day to let him know that she loved him. No Valeria to talk to at night about how he was hurting. There would be no Valeria ever again.

As the sun set, Gawain knew he had to return home. He wasn't ready to face what his life would be like now that she was gone, but he knew it had to be done. He hadn't been ready for his first battle against the Woads, but he had done it nonetheless. And he had survived.

He heaved himself off the bank absently realizing that he was wet all over. It must've rained while he'd been sitting out there. When he walked back in the house, his daughters ran to him and he hugged them closely. Felix, Declan, and Lucan looked at him with worry in their eyes. He could tell that they were trying to be strong for him and for their sisters. He gestured them forward and even though Felix was fourteen and Lucan was already a knight and had fought in battles of his own, all three boys rushed forward towards the hug.

Gawain didn't know how long they stood there; his arms started to go numb and he realized that all of them were crying. He pulled himself together, knowing that now he had to be strong for his children. He pulled away and looked at them all. Lucia was sad and angry; her emotions were easy to read on her face. Morwen was…devastated. He didn't know another word for the expression on his youngest daughter's face.

Little Declan, only six last week, didn't seem to really understand what this meant, but knew that it was something was bad. Lucan looked like he didn't really know what was going to happen now, reminding Gawain not of a new knight, but more of the scared young boy who they had taken in at Valeria's insistence. And Felix. Felix, their lucky charm- the reason they had their life together in the first place. Felix was already steeling himself to look after everyone else.

"I'll take care of everything, Dad." Felix said with a determined nod. Gawain went to stop him, not wanting his son have to bear the burden of being strong for everyone else. He himself had had to bear that burden so many times before and he didn't want that for his son.

"I'll help." Lucan said with a firm nod before Gawain could object. The boys quickly left the room and Gawain could feel a fierce love for his children almost overwhelm him; almost block out the gut wrenching pain he felt at the loss of his wife. He moved to sit down on the sofa where Declan quickly claimed his lap and Lucia and Morwen sat on either side of him. He sighed and leaned back tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling of their house. He felt numb, but he also felt a sense of certainty settle on his heart as he thought of the future.

He would survive. He gave Declan a hug and kissed the top of Lucia and Morwen's heads. He thought of his children and realized that he had to carry on; he couldn't allow himself to succumb to his grief like he had done today. There was still plenty of work for him to do on this godforsaken island.

**AN: Please review and let me know what you think. **


	6. The Time Felix Understood

**AN: Just thought that I would put the disclaimer up again- I don't any of King Arthur. Hope that you guys enjoy this one. You should probably read my story "On the Edge of the Roman Empire" before this one as this might not make a TON of sense without that one for reference. **

**Felix's first Battle- end of movie +1****9**

Felix kept his eyes on the forest around him. Granted, their primary enemies were the Saxons who didn't melt into the trees like some of their own Pict-ish allies, but not all of the local tribes had united under Arthur all those years ago. He glanced over at his father and older brother and saw that both of them were looking to the trees as well. Soon, his attention was pulled to his horse when it gave a low whiny and reared back slightly for a moment. He leaned over to pat its neck when he heard something whiz over his head. An arrow.

"To arms!" Arthur yelled. Felix looked at the arrow that was now firmly embedded in the ground, in astonishment. If his horse hadn't called his attention like it had, the arrow would've gone right through his head. He gulped and looked over to his father again. Gawain's face was grim. He had never seen his father look so serious except for the day that his mother had died. He nervously looked over at his older brother. But Lucan, who always looked rather serious, had a ferocious look on his face as he glared at the woods.

Felix didn't have any more time to question what was happening. This was what he had been looking forward to all his life, right? This is what he had been training towards for the better part of 5 years. Before he could even blink again, they had started a charge. Felix still wasn't sure where they were charging to or who they were fighting. Was it the Saxons? Or was it one of the splinter Briton tribes? It all became a flash or yells and clash of metal on metal as they met their enemy. He tried to keep track of his father and brother, but was soon lost in fighting for his life. It was so fast. He didn't really have time to think as his sword sunk into the chest of his enemy. All he had time to feel was a slight clenching of his stomach as he took his first human life.

But even that slight pause, that fraction of a second, opened him up to attack as one of the enemy jumped on his back. He could smell his unwashed enemy and feel them clawing at his long blonde hair, trying to reach his eyes and neck. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled his attacker over his head and roughly slammed them to the forest floor, stabbing them with his knife before he even registered that it had been a woman attacking him. He felt that clenching feeling again, but was soon drawn back into the battle before he could dwell on anything.

When it seemed like the battle was nearing its end, he looked to his left and saw Lucan take an arrow to his chest. Felix cried out and ran towards his brother, catching him as he hit the ground. Dead. Was this what he wanted? He could almost hear his mother's voice asking him, begging him, not to pursue the life of a knight.

When he started his training she had begged him to become a scholar, a merchant, anything other than a knight. He had always swept aside her concerns. As a highborn Roman lady, what could she possibly know about battle? All his life, people had told Felix he was exactly like Gawain. His father was a knight. So there was never any question what he would choose to do once he came of age. He was a knight born and bred. Wasn't he?

_Felix didn't realize that if Gawain had a choice, he would've chosen any life but that of a knight. _

As he held his brother's cooling body and thought of his mother's words, it was like she appeared before him. Felix blinked. His mother had died four years before his first patrol.

"Felix!" She called out and, just as he had when he was little, he raised his free hand out to her.

"Mama!" He called, unable to stop the tears from flowing down his face. He was older now. He had grown a scruffy beard and already had the warrior locks of his father's Sarmatian tribe. But right now, Felix just wanted his mother to make everything better.

"My sons..." Valeria said and moved towards where Felix was crouched holding Lucan's dead body. Before she could go more than two steps, a faceless enemy warrior came by and pulled her neck back, slitting her throat before walking casually away.

"NO!" Felix yelled. He felt as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His hands were sticky with Lucan's blood and he watched his mother's blood soak into the grass beneath her, her head nearly separated from her body. Where was his father? Why hadn't Gawain been able to stop any of this from happening?

Felix heard a gurgle nearby and saw Gawain with his own axe embedded in his head. Felix didn't know what was happening. The world seemed to grow blurry. All he could do was scream; scream their names and scream in agony as all he could see was blood, destruction, and pain. Pain. He looked down and saw a lance sticking through his chest. He didn't feel anything for a moment, but soon that blissful numbness ended and there was red hot pain searing through even pore of his body. He couldn't move, he couldn't die. All he could do was see his family around him, bloody and dead. He would be trapped in this hell forever.

Until he was jostled in the side and woke up in a dimly lit room.

Felix blinked in confusion. Where was he? He absently touched a hand to his chest where a moment before a spear had been protruding. He was solid. He frowned in thought and blinked as he took in the low lights around him, the light coming from the banked fire in the hearth. The hearth that was in his cottage. Slowly, as though afraid that he would be plunged back into a world of horror and blood with the wrong move, he looked towards the fire. Instead of simmering flames, he saw Aoife. His week-long wife.

She had a worried look in her eyes and in a blink, he realized what had happened. It was a dream. He tried to smile to reassure her, but it must've come out as more of a grimace, because all she did was nudge him to the side and climb in beside him on the couch where he realized he must've drifted off.

"Was it bad?" Felix asked. And from the hoarseness of his voice, she didn't have to answer. He knew that it was bad. He must've really been screaming.

"You were calling for your mother." She answered and he could hear the tremor in her voice. It had been five years since his first patrol; his mother had died over nine years ago. "I was so worried that the fever had gotten ahold of you..." She trailed off and he heard her sniffle. That was the reason he was sleeping out on the couch by the fire. He had gotten a slight fever on the last patrol (damn island and its constant rain) and didn't want to get her sick. But, as they lay on the couch together, her hand over his heart, he figured that they would both probably end up sleeping on the couch tonight.

"Sorry love." He said. Aoife didn't say anything. She merely leaned slightly into his side and kissed his shoulder.

"You scared me." She whispered. He didn't reply except by tightening his grip on her. Felix could feel himself start to drift off again. Aoife was warm and soft next to him and he could hear her humming a lullaby that his mother used to sing to them when they were all children.

Now he understood why his mother hadn't wanted him to be a knight. After these past five years of battle and patrols, that first patrol was still vivid in his mind; made even more horrible by his imagination. Lucan had taken a head wound and Felix had been covered in his brother's blood. But Lucan had survived.

It was then that he finally realized why his mother had begged him not to be a knight. At the time, he had wondered how she had known. How had his sheltered, gentle mother known what horror there was on the battlefield? But as he drifted off with Aoife's hair tickling his nose, he wondered if his own father had nightmares like he now had. Had his mother witnessed his father's sorrow with the life that he had been forced into? It made sense, he supposed.

After all, he was just like his father.

**AN: Aoife is Bors and Vanora's daughter Ten, who is Lucia's best friend and was often around Felix when growing up. **

**Well, this one turned out a little bit more serious than my usual. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure where it came from. I just had a burst of inspiration the other day. I hope that the battle and Felix's nightmare of the battle came off as realistic. Having lived a rather sheltered life myself, that is all from my imagination about how horrible war must be. **


	7. A Time to Rend

**AN: Also standard disclaimer applies: I own nothing! Just as a warning, this is not a very Lancelot friendly fic. I do have my problems with him (as I have problems for womanizers the world over!). Anyway, this one goes out to Allie and LOTR Ranger who wanted some romance for Galahad! Enjoy!**

**A Time to Rend: **Between Part I and Part II- 1 year before the start of the movie

Valeria stood in the kitchen looking around the small house at a bit of a loss. Felix was down for his nap, Gawain was at the keep training, and all the food preparation for the day was completed. She frowned. The place wasn't unclean but it was a bit untidy. With a very put upon sigh, she moved to begin cleaning up the house. Of all the chores that she had acquired since running way to be with Gawain, this was what she hated the most. No matter how fiercely she cleaned, it seemed to just become messy again as soon as she turned her back. With a slight grin she thought of how she had never fully appreciated in her old life the many servants whose job was to tidy up after them. Thinking of her old life made her think of her maid Elspeth. She wondered what Elspeth was up to today.

And as though thinking about her made her appear, Elspeth came dashing into the room.

"Valeria!" Elspeth gasped out before Valeria could even form words. "I heard the most surprising news!" Valeria frowned and then her imagination began to get away from her. Since moving to the Wall, Valeria had moved out of the keep to a house that Gawain and the other knights had cleaned up. But Elspeth had stayed in the keep, working as a maid there. At her sudden arrival Valeria began to panic and think that maybe Gawain had been hurt in training. It had happened before...

"Is it Gawain?" She asked, abandoning her chores and moving to get Felix and run to the keep. Elspeth chuckled.

"No, big blondie is fine." Elspeth gave her friend a fond smile. "But someone has a one track mind!" Valeria breathed a sigh of relief and then gave a half-hearted glare at her friend.

"Well what do you expect me to think when you come running in here like the Wall has been breached by Woads? You probably took a good ten years off my life with that! As payment, I demand you help me with the cleaning." Valeria said in a commanding tone. This soon caused both women to laugh. Not even when she had been living in Fulvonius' castle had Valeria ever used that tone with her servants.

"Learned something from Vanora, I see." Elspeth said between guffaws. Valeria nodded and they both moved to start cleaning again.

"So what was it that got you so excited?" Valeria asked after a moment of quiet.

"Oh! I nearly forgot." Elspeth said and looked at her friend a bit scandalized. "I heard that you went to the tavern!"

"Yes." Valeria said giving her a funny look. Elspeth knew that she had been planning to go to the tavern with Gawain. They had discussed it with Vanora just the other day. "You knew I was going to go."

"I never thought you would go through with it!" Elspeth wailed. This caused Felix to wake up and Valeria went to comfort her baby boy. "Sorry." Elspeth muttered when Valeria reappeared with the baby. "But...what would your mother say?"

"Probably that she could never see me again." Valeria returned drily moving to sit on the couch as she thought of the letter she had received from her mother upon her flight. Elspeth grimaced.

"But...the tavern?" When her friend merely shrugged in reply, Elspeth moved to sit by her on the couch. "What was it like?" She asked in a whisper. Valeria turned her attention away from Felix- who had quieted soon after his mother came to hold him- to her friend. She thought about how to reply.

"It was...interesting." Valeria finally responded.

"Interesting? C'mon, Valeria, you're going to have to give me more than that!" Elspeth said in exasperation. Felix snuffled a little causing Valeria to give her friend a look of exasperation. "Sorry." She said lowering her tone to a whisper.

"I don't know what to say though. Some parts were good. Some parts were bad. Some parts were...enlightening." She said the last with a smile on her face which she turned to hide in Felix's hair.

"Enlightening?" Elspeth said skeptically. Hugging Felix close and turning so her cheek was resting against the crown of his head Valeria smiled at Elspeth.

"Gawain has said that he loves me." Valeria returned, her eyes glittering with happiness. Elspeth merely rolled her eyes.

"Well, anyone with eyes could see that!"

"It's nice to hear." Valeria said with a shrug. Elspeth bit her lip thinking of her own ongoing affair with Lancelot. She had been bedding him since before Valeria and Gawain had come together, but she knew that she was not the only lady that was in Lancelot's rotation. She didn't know how she felt about that. At the beginning of the affair it hadn't bothered her, but now it was starting to wear. She had developed some feelings for the dark knight and although hearing of his dealings with Vanora had made her angry, she hadn't had the heart to confront him. After all, that had been long ago. Long before she had met Vanora or Lancelot and long before Vanora and Bors had even been together. So even though she was happy that Valeria had gotten to hear the words that she longed to hear from Gawain, it didn't come as a surprise to anyone at the Wall. Except maybe Valeria.

"So what else happened? You must tell me now that you're a woman of the world! How am I to keep up with you?" She teased. Valeria chuckled.

"Alright. Well, we met Galahad there-"

"Galahad?" Elspeth asked skeptically.

"Yes, you know he's Gawain's best friend." Valeria said with a frown. She didn't really understand why Elspeth had taken a bit of dislike to the youngest knight.

"I'm surprised they let him in the door." Elspeth said with a snort.

"Elspeth, you mustn't say such things about Galahad. I never understood why you don't like him. He's such a dear friend- to me as well as to Gawain-"

"Yes, yes. I know- he comes over for dinner every Tuesday." Elspeth rolled her eyes. "But he never says anything! All he does is blush bright red and stammer and then dash out of a room as soon as I enter. I just don't have any patience for him." Now it was Valeria's turn to roll her eyes.

"I've told you about a thousand times that he does that because he thinks so highly of you and he knows that you think he's an idiot." Elspeth grunted in reply, not willing to accept that answer for reasons that Valeria didn't really understand.

"Anyway, I sat with Galahad and saw One and the other children and was able to meet some of the knights that I've only heard the names of before. Some of them were so funny! And they told me hilarious stories about Gawain." Valeria laughed quietly just thinking of some of the tales the other knights had been more than happy to tell of Gawain. Much to Gawain's amusement and chagrin. Elspeth chuckled a little at that too.

"I'll bet Gawain was pleased." She said a bit sarcastically. She looked over at her friend who was biting her lip and felt a fissure of concern. "What parts were bad? Did they tell you something horrible about Gawain?"

"No, it's not that." Valeria shrugged again. "One of the knights- Kay I think. He said some pretty horrible things to me." Elspeth sighed. She could only imagine.

"Well, I'm sure that Gawain sorted him out." She said trying to comfort her friend. She knew that while Valeria wouldn't leave Gawain and would take what people said about her apparently in stride, the gossip was hurtful.

"Gawain was over by the bar at the time." She glanced at Elspeth out of the corner of her eye as she appeared to focus in on Felix. "It was Galahad who actually leapt over the table and tackled Kay."

"GALAHAD?" Elspeth couldn't help but raise her voice. This set Felix off again. Valeria gave Elspeth an annoyed look and got up to walk around hoping that the motion would soothe Felix. "Sorry." She replied not all that contritely. Galahad was about half the size of Kay and she couldn't imagine him leaping into a fight like that. And to defend someone he had only known for a few months. A woman at that. She wondered what Valeria cooked at those Tuesday night dinners to make Galahad so protective of her. Maybe she would have to come to another sometime- maybe Valeria would let her bring Lancelot too.

"Anyway, I probably won't be going back anytime soon, but if I do, why don't you come too? I know that Gawain would probably feel better about it. He was worried that the fight and what Kay said would make me not want to go again. But I'd feel so much easier if you were there too." Valeria asked after Felix's cries began to taper off.

"Alright." Elspeth said with a shrug. And why not? It's not like she had anything better to do.

Several Weeks Later...

"Well, I feel like the luckiest man in the place!" Gawain said grinning into his ale.

"Why's that?" Elspeth asked as she took her seat at the table beside Valeria.

"Because I have not one, but two beautiful women with me tonight!" Gawain said causing Valeria to fondly roll her eyes. She looked at Elspeth with a put upon smile.

"He's been going on about that ever since I told him you were to come with us tonight." Both women chuckled as Gawain pouted exaggeratedly at them. This caused Felix to laugh and grab at his father from his mother's lap. Gawain chucked his son under his chin.

"Yes, my boy. They will take every advantage to spoil your poor Dad's fun!"

That pronouncement was met with a loud guffaw from the other side of the table which drew their attention to Galahad. A rather drunk Galahad. Apparently a rather drunk Galahad had no problem with talking in from of Elspeth like a sober Galahad had.

"Gawain, Valeria lets you get away with everything! And she cooks for you! And cleans! And puts up with your monstrous hair!-"

"Alright, alright! Get your own woman!" Gawain said playfully kicking Galahad under the table and putting his arm around Valeria. Galahad turned his soppy grin on Elspeth, who was a bit stunned. She didn't even realize that Galahad knew that many words. And he really did have a charming grin...

"I'm going to go see if Lancelot is about." She said standing abruptly. She felt an unexplained pang when Galahad's grin slid off of his face, but ignored it as she went in search of the night that she had been in a "relationship" with for the past months. She pretended that she didn't hear Gawain- sweet, pleasant Gawain- curse Lancelot's name.

Being on the tall side for a woman, Elspeth didn't have a lot of trouble moving around the tavern. She spotted Vanora and merely waved at her. She didn't really fancy asking Vanora where Lancelot was. That seemed a bit callous. As she looked around, she took in the scene around her. The tavern was rather darker than she was used to. And had a bit of a rough air to it. There were some Roman legionaries in the corner who gave her a bit of an eye and she felt her skin crawl a bit. She had just about made a circuit of the room when she felt someone come up beside her.

"Galahad?" She asked questioningly.

"Sorry. I saw those soldiers and some of the other men give you a bit of a look." He blushed bright red and Elspeth couldn't hold back her smile. This was the Galahad she was more used to. It seems he had sobered up a bit in the few minutes she'd been away

"Thanks for coming over. I was just about to..." She trailed off having spotted Lancelot coming out from the stables with a smug smile on his face following behind a very buxom barmaid. Elspeth frowned. She knew what that smug smile meant and didn't really know how to deal with that right now. It was one thing to know that she wasn't the only one and it was another to have it shoved in her face like that. Galahad cursed internally and put a hand on her arm.

"Hey, don't worry about that-" he started. But he was cut off as Lancelot saw them standing together looking over at him. Lancelot smirked and sauntered over to the pair.

"Well, hello lovely." He said to Elspeth, completely ignoring Galahad except for giving the younger knight a few smug looks.

"Lancelot." Elspeth said tersely. He ignored her tone.

"Pup, why don't you go back to the table and let me entertain the lovely lady. I'm sure that it was me who she came to see after all." He winked at Elspeth and Galahad frowned looking at the woman that he been harboring feelings for ever since he saw her alight from Valeria's carriage. She did not look amused and he was rather hesitant to leave her side anyway. Elspeth for her part was appalled. It was blatantly obvious that Lancelot had just bedded that barmaid and now was planning on bedding her. Right after. No pausing. No washing. No shame. And just like that- she was done.

"I don't think-" Galahad started

"I did come here for Lancelot." She said, keeping her eyes on Lancelot. She missed how Galahad's face fell- but Lancelot didn't. He gave his fellow knight a triumphant look as Galahad turned to walk away. But before he could even take a step, Elspeth put her hand on Galahad's arm. "But more fool to me. I won't make that mistake again."

Without another word she slipped her arm through Galahad's and began to walk away. Galahad felt like he was on cloud nine walking out of the tavern with Elspeth. He turned to say something to her- something charming he hoped- when he noticed how she was biting her lip as though to keep from crying. Cursing again internally, he resigned himself to walking her back to her quarters in the keep. Once they got outside she stopped walking and released his arm. He tried not to let that pain him as he could tell that she was clearly upset.

"Thanks for walking out with me. I'm just going to go back to my room. Can you tell Valeria and Gawain?" She asked and Galahad- now completely sober- frowned at her.

"I'll walk with you back to your rooms. You shouldn't go back by yourself anyway." He replied.

"Galahad- I just want to be alone." Her voice sounded choked up and Galahad could tell that she was trying very hard not to cry in front of him. Part of him thought that he should grant that wish. She had never wanted him around her even when she was happy. But he thought of all the bad things that could happen to her on her way back to the keep. He swallowed hard.

"You can be. Once you get back to your room." He said firmly. Putting an arm around her and pressing her into his side, Galahad walked her back to the keep, ignoring the way her tears soaked his shirt. Once they reached her room, she opened the door and moved to go inside. At the last minute she turned back to him. Her eyes were puffy and red and her face had creases on it where she had pushed herself into his side to try to muffle her sobs. Her nose was red and dripping with snot. Galahad thought that she was beautiful.

"Thanks." She said in a low voice. She turned back to go in the room but before she could, Galahad turned her gently by her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise. He was looking at her so seriously; like there were a million things he wanted to tell her. Elspeth knew that she must look horrible, but she would've never been able to tell that from the way he was looking at her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep well." He mumbled before turning and walking away. She stood in the open doorway to her room watching him shuffle down the hall. After he rounded the corner, she went into her room and sat down on the bed, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Galahad returned to the tavern and downed a mug of ale in one gulp. He didn't answer Valeria and Gawain when they asked about Elspeth. He shook his head at Tristan when the other knight stood up to give him back his seat (although the next day he would wonder what sort of look was on his face if even Tristan was being accommodating to him). All he did after putting the mug back down on the table was walk over to where Lancelot was sitting and pull his brother knight out of his seat before punching Lancelot square on the jaw causing him to fall back on his behind. The usually rowdy tavern went dead silent. It seemed as though no one even dared to breathe as Lancelot stood up rubbing his jaw and looked calculatingly at Galahad. Before he could act, a voice broke the silence.

"Well, it's about time someone did that. Surprised it took ten years is all." Vanora's voice rang out over the stillness and it was though a switch had been flipped. Everyone went back to their business- drinking, gambling, and gossiping. Some of the other knights covertly watched Galahad and Lancelot as the two stood staring at each other.

"I didn't expect that you'd ever have the balls to do that." Lancelot said casually. Galahad shrugged defiantly.

"You're done now, you and her. It's over." Galahad replied. Lancelot shrugged carelessly.

"Don't really care. I just kept it up with her to annoy you." As Galahad turned red, Lancelot gave him a mock salute and turned to leave the tavern. Galahad took a step to follow, but a heavy hand on his shoulder pulled him back. He looked up to see Bors looking down at him compassionately.

"I really want to..." Galahad trailed off figuring that Bors of all people understood exactly what he wanted to do to Lancelot.

"I know, pup. I know." With a shrug they went to sit back down at the bar. Vanora put two mugs of ale in front of each of them. "My angel." Bors said tipping the first one towards Vanora and drinking the whole thing. She rolled her eyes but Galahad could see the way that her lips tilted up in a smile. He chuckled and drank his own first mug.

"So what now?" Galahad asked.

"Now? You live. You get that hairball friend of yours and his woman to get that girly to the dinners you go to at their house. You let that girly know that you're not like Lancelot. That you mean what you say. And you don't let any of this affect our duty." Bors replied starting in on his second mug and staring over the rim at something.

"No?" Galahad asked. He followed Bors' line of sight and saw that Bors was staring at One who was sitting with Gawain and Valeria laughing at some story that Lamolak was telling them all. Everyone pretty much knew that One was Lancelot's daughter but Bors had raised her as his own because he had loved Vanora. And Galahad thought about their patrols. Bors had never left any of them, not even Lancelot, out to dry when they were in danger.

"No." Bors said firmly.

"Alright then." Galahad said clinking his glass with Bors'. He knew that as Bors laughingly put him a headlock, everything would be back to normal before he had too much time to dwell on it.

**AN: I do still have some ideas working for other stuff going on in this universe. Hopefully there's still some people out there who are enjoying reading this! I'm going to be really slow on the updates but I do have two more (one partially written and one just an idea) but I would really like to write a "shot" for Lucan…any suggestions?**

**PS- sorry if this is still a little rough. It's been sitting on my drive for forever and I just wanted to get it out there…so it's only going through a little bit of proofing **


	8. A Time to Wed

**AN: So this isn't what I originally had in mind when I was thinking of a wedding chapter but this what came out! Everyone gets married...yeah! I hope that you all enjoy it and let me know what you think :) **

**A Time to Wed**

**End of the Movie +9 months: Gawain & Valeria**

Gawain stood in the center of the round table impatiently waiting for Valeria to appear. He wished that he had ceded to her wishes and just gotten married down in the southern part of Britain where Arthur and Guinevere had gotten married. But he had wanted to wait until they had returned to the Wall. This was where they had their home. This was where their children were born. This was where they had fought to be together.

This was where they would be married.

Although, he supposed, they were technically married already by the laws of consummation and cohabitation, but now that he was allowed to have an official ceremony...he wanted it. Arthur clapped a hand on Gawain's shoulder in the hopes to make his burly knight stop fidgeting.

"It won't be long now, my friend." Arthur said a touch impatient himself but much better at hiding it. Everyone always said that Gawain wore his heart on his sleeve.

"I just want to be married." Gawain all but whined. He noticed that Guinevere rolled her eyes behind Arthur's back but he chose to ignore her. Inwardly though, Gawain sighed. He did not have a strong liking for the new Queen and neither did many in the kingdom. The only ones who did seem to have a fondness for her were her fellow Woads. Picts. Picts. Gawain mentally corrected himself before shrugging it off. He was too old to change the way he thought about things now.

Gawain pushed his irritation with the Queen aside and focused on the other people in the room. Vanora and Elspeth had just slipped into the chapel, signaling to Gawain that they were indeed close to starting since those two had been helping Valeria get ready.

Galahad was standing in a corner with Elspeth talking quietly and earnestly as Elspeth held his youngest, three month old Morwen in her arms. Bors and Vanora were standing amongst their brood arguing furiously; although they were trying to be quiet, Gawain could hear almost every word. He smiled a bit at the difference between the two couples. He looked towards the children and saw One watching over Lucia and Ten, who were in turn trying to sneak over to the sweets table and "test if any of the blackberries were poisoned." He shook his head at Lucia's favorite excuse for sampling sweets. He never knew where she got such silly ideas from, but he would always throw back his head and laugh at what his little princess would come up with next. Sometimes to Valeria's chagrin. Speaking of Valeria...

His attention, and everyone else's in the room, was drawn to the doorway, which had just been opened. Realistically, Gawain knew that he had seen Valeria in those robes before. They were her best ones and she didn't wear them often, but he had seen her wear them over the years. But today- today she looked...amazing. There was no other word for it. He knew that he had a stupid besotted look upon his face (his feeling was confirmed when he heard Bors give a snicker somewhere to his left- followed by a whoosh of air that signified Vanora had elbowed her man in the stomach).

He didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that today they were going to be officially man and wife. He could finally give her the ceremony that she deserved. Although, as he leaned in to give her a sweet kiss after Arthur had spoken the words pronouncing them legally wed, he realized that he hadn't really paid much attention to it. In fact, years later Gawain would be able to tell you the exact angle of the light as it lit up Valeria's hair, how her smile had caused her to glow, how he could feel her pulse beneath his thumb as he stroked her wrist, and how her eyes had never left his. But what Arthur had said to unite them as one? He didn't even have a clue five minutes later.

As he broke away from kissing Valeria, his friends and family swarmed around to congratulate them. Gawain grinned as he grabbed Lucia and tossed her in the air, catching his giggling daughter and giving his exasperated wife a roguish grin. She smiled and laughed and Gawain's spirits were high- he couldn't recall a time where he had been this happy.

"Let's feast!" He called out, settling Lucia on his hip and snagging Valeria's hand as he walked out of the center of table and towards the banquet hall where their wedding feast was set up.

"Ruuuuuussss!" Bors bellowed out in answer.

And feast they did.

**End of the Movie +2 years: Galahad & Elspeth**

"I can't believe this is happening..." Bors muttered under his breath as he watched Galahad and Elspeth get married. He grunted as Vanora elbowed him in the stomach. He looked around the courtyard where they had all gathered and noticed that he was the only one scowling. Valeria even had tears in her eyes! He tried to fix his face in a semblance of a smile but he had a feeling, by the look that Vanora was giving him, that it was really more of a grimace.

"Don't you embarrass me!" Vanora hissed under her breath. Bors attempted to smile, but Vanora merely huffed and turned away. He heard One snicker from her place beside him. He gently elbowed the girl he considered his oldest daughter in the side.

"Daaaaaddd." She whined under her breath. However, One had never really been the quietest of children (none of Bors' clan were) and several people turned around to scowl at them for interrupting the proceedings. One blushed and was relieved to see that neither Galahad nor Elspeth had noticed anything amiss. Bors merely shrugged. This day couldn't end soon enough for him. Here he was with eleven children and Vanora STILL wouldn't marry him. He was beginning to take this personally now.

"Huzzah!"

The happy shout from the crowd brought Bors out of his brooding. He watched with a touch of envy as Galahad, blushing as red as a rose, gave Elspeth a sweet chaste kiss. He couldn't help but laugh as the girl pulled her new husband in for a much more romantic version of the kiss. He heard One sigh beside him, distracting him from his own thoughts and the sounds of Vanora, Valeria, and Gawain trying to herd all their children together towards the feast tables that Arthur had been kind enough to provide.

"What's that sigh for?" Bors asked slinging an arm around One. She tried to shrug him off but Bors was persistent. One finally gave up and just told her father what was on her mind.

"I'm never going to get married." She said with a frown. Bors internally shuddered at the thought of someone courting One and was about to say that damn right she was never getting married and neither were any of her sisters! Then, he saw the despondent look in her eyes and couldn't help but want to cheer her up.

"Just wait. Someday, not anywhere close to now, mind you, you'll find someone who'll be lucky to have you." Bors said. One frowned again.

"But I'm almost sixteen now. Mom had me when she was younger than me! Why can't I get someone now?" She asked with a bit of a whine causing Bors to wince at the shrill tone in her voice. "And Aunt Valeria was only sixteen when she and Gawain ran off together-"

"Now you listen here!" Bors interrupted her. "There will be no running away! Your mother and Aunt were young. Too young I should think. And their families weren't very happy with them." Bors frowned a bit, thinking of how Vanora's parents had kicked her out when they found she was pregnant by one of the Sarmatian knights.

"So?"

"So you wait a few years until you meet someone your mother and I approve of."

"Why does it even matter? You're not even really my father." Bors winced at her words, but started talking before she could apologize.

"Maybe not by blood. But you're my daughter, make no mistake about that. And I want to make sure that whatever blighter you bring home is good enough for you. Look at Elspeth and Galahad. They're happy. All their friends and family are happy. Don't you want that for yourself?"

One shrugged.

"Well?"

"But what if there's no one out there? Or what if you scare them away?"

"Then they're not worthy of you. You're too special to just hand over to some tosser who won't stand up to me! Do you really want a bloke like that?" Bors was heartened when he could see One fighting a smile at his latest assessment.

"I guess not." She replied and Bors ruffled her hair affectionately causing her to shriek and giggle a little.

"Better not." He muttered. "Now get off with you! This is a party and I had better see you smiling!" He growled at her threateningly. One merely rolled her eyes and, giving her father a quick kiss on the check, went off to do as he said and have a goodtime.

"Alright. You can have your way." Vanora said with a slight smile as she watched One walk off happily towards the feast to partake in the festivities.

"Whazzat?" Bors asked frowning thoughtfully.

"I'll marry you after all." She replied. Bors was about to go off on a rant about 'how she had damn well better!' and 'what made her think he wanted to get married anymore?' when he saw the almost nervous stance that Vanora was standing in. It made him think of the first time she had been his. She was alone, pregnant with One by Lancelot, and not really sure what to expect of him.

His heart melted at the thought that his woman, who he had been with from almost the beginning of his time here, still had insecurities about their relationship. Heaven knows he had tried to squash that. He thought that he had succeeded years ago, but now he knew that they had really just been buried deeply inside her. It probably hadn't helped anything when he had ridden off two years to fight with Arthur at Badon Hill. So, he swallowed his sharp tirade and just smiled at her. The first real smile she had seen on him all day long.

"Good."

They stood there just looking at each other for a little bit. Vanora uncharacteristically shy and Bors uncharacteristically quiet. Then, as though they were reading from some unseen book, they both said at the same time:

"I love you."

Laughing together, they rejoined the party and when Bors bellowed out that he and Vanora were getting married a loud cheer went up among the crowd. Arthur was even seen wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye at the good news.

Bors was so happy he didn't even call Arthur a pansy.

**End of the Movie +3 years: Bors & Vanora**

"I can't believe that it took them a whole year to plan their wedding." Elspeth said with a sigh to Valeria as they watched Vanora and Bors get married. Valeria laughed quietly bouncing the baby in her arms to soothe him.

"Well, Vanora decided that she wanted roses and you know better than anyone that you do not get between a bride and the type of flowers that she wants at her wedding!" Valeria laughed as Elspeth blushed. Elspeth herself had wanted a certain type of wild bloom that peaked in late June up at Hadrian's Wall. She had been adamant, as Galahad had found out when he suggested that they 'just get married right away'. Although, she had later forgiven him when she realized that he was just worried she would change her mind.

"Give him to me." Elspeth said with a half-smile as she took the baby from her friend. She was pleased when Krispin immediately stopped crying.

"Looks like he just wanted his mama." Valeria said with a smile. Her attention was quickly pulled away though as her youngest, Morwen, a tall three year old wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and leaned into her side. Elspeth chuckled and both women grinned at each other. Their attention was momentarily taken by both of their husbands who were whispering together like little girls. Both women looked at each other with a touch of exasperation.

"I say that we make a pact here and now." Elspeth said after a brief pause.

"Yes?" Valeria asked.

"Yes. We need to make sure that Gawain and Galahad don't drink too much at the feast." Elspeth replied with a sigh.

"Ugh! You're right. I don't think I can take a repeat of my wedding day." Valeria said with a slight smile.

"I don't know. Your wedding day was pretty memorable." Elspeth said with a smile of her own. Valeria nudged her side- carefully so not to disturb the baby.

"That's just because Galahad finally admitted his feelings to you." Elspeth blushed.

_Valeria couldn't help but smile at Gawain and Galahad as they sang some old Sarmatian wedding song at the top of their lungs. She winced as they hit an off note. Very out of tune at the top of their lungs, she mentally corrected herself. Looking around, she was pleased to note that everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Arthur could be seen smiling! Elspeth sat down with a long-suffering sigh beside her, holding a sleeping Morwen in her arms. Valeria laughed at the annoyed look her old friend gave Galahad. _

"_Now Elspeth, you know how Gawain and Galahad are once they are in their cups." Valeria chided. Both women shared a long-suffering look before giggling. _

"_Aye. I just thought-" Elspeth broke off, turning her head away. _

"_What?" Valeria asked. Elspeth was one who rarely let her softer emotions surface and when she did, she was often more vulnerable than even she herself knew. Valeria had found, as their friendship had flourished at the Wall, that the best way to treat her when she got into these moods was with calm and compassionate understanding. Much as she would with Felix when he hurt himself, although she was sure Elspeth would scoff at the comparison. _

"_I had just hoped that Galahad would like to dance with me." She said in a slightly mournful voice eyeing the floor where many couples were dancing. _

_Valeria paused before answering. Elspeth and Galahad had a rather complicated relationship. Upon first arriving at the Wall, Galahad had become rather struck with Elspeth and consequently had been unable to speak a coherent word before her; much to Gawain's own amusement. As a result, Elspeth had thought very little of Galahad while he had merely fallen more and more in love with her. The fact that Elspeth had been in a "relationship" with Lancelot at the time only made it worse. _

_When Elspeth had finally broken free of the dark knight's spell, she and Galahad had developed a tentative friendship. But, it had never seemed to develop into more than friendship. Valeria knew that Galahad still harbored very serious feelings for Elspeth but was afraid of her rejection. She was unsure what Elspeth's feelings were and had been hesitant to ask as Elspeth was usually rather guarded about her innermost feelings. However, Valeria thought with a smile, today was her wedding day and no one would gainsay her today!_

"_Do you feel more than just friendly feelings for Galahad, Elspeth?" Valeria asked, taking Morwen into her own arms. Elspeth looked at Valeria a bit shocked. Valeria had never come out and just asked her something like that before, knowing that no matter what an uncaring front she put up, inside she was rather delicate. Seeing her friend's understanding smile, Elspeth blew out a breath and blushed a bit. _

"_Aye." She leaned closer to Valeria, her eyes flickering over to where Gawain and Galahad still sang that silly song. Loudly and horribly. "I fear that I am very deeply in love with him." She confided then rolled her eyes as Galahad fell over and Gawain laughed at his friend before reaching down to pull Galahad roughly to his feet. "The idiot." _

_Both women giggled a bit before Valeria, feeling very emboldened by her own wine and happiness stood up abruptly and moved the short distance to where her husband and his best friend were standing, giving Elspeth a look which her friend didn't understand. _

"_Gawain, come. We must dance." Valeria said shoving Morwen at a startled Galahad and giving him a look that said if he dropped the baby, he would pay for it later. Galahad quickly sat down not trusting his own balance as Gawain was led off by his petite wife to the dance floor. Gawain gave a bemused look over his shoulder at his friend and shrugged one shoulder as an excuse for his abrupt departure, but Galahad could see how happy Gawain was to be following his wife out to the dance floor. _

"_I can take her if you'd like." He heard from his side and turned to see Elspeth sitting beside him. Elspeth with a curiously shy expression on her face. He couldn't help but stare at her and she blushed. "I know how nervous you are with babies." She added when didn't answer and continued to stare at her. _

"_Err…" Galahad couldn't think of anything to say. He saw Elspeth's face fall a little and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Would you like to dance?" Elspeth laughed a little and Galahad blushed, causing her heart to turn over. When had she thought him pathetic? He was the sweetest man she had ever met!_

"_Do you think Morwen is up to it?" She asked smiling as she saw Galahad open his mouth to apologize or stammer some other sort of excuse. His mouth snapped shut and he looked at her curiously. He looked down at Morwen, the sweetest of all the babies he had been forced to hold by both Bors and Gawain. Thankfully, she was asleep and not squirming. _

"_I think…" He trailed off and looked at Elspeth with his heart in his eyes. He cleared his throat and started again. "I think that if you hold her, I could hold you both very well." He blushed bright red but Elspeth merely smiled at him, much to his relief. _

"_I think that sounds lovely." She answered, slowly easing baby Morwen from his arms and into her own. _

"_Do you truly?" Galahad asked somewhat astonished. Although they had developed a strong friendship over the intervening years, he had remained too shy to open up to her about the depth of his feelings for her. _

"_Does that surprise you?" She murmured standing up with Morwen cradled closely to her chest. _

"_Yes it does." Galahad replied frankly as he stood. He wasn't much taller than Elspeth, but she still had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes. Swallowing, Galahad took Gawain's advice- life was too short to waste not letting people that you loved know that you loved them. "I- I admit I have been wanting that for time." _

"_Me too." Elspeth said quietly, her eyes glancing down to the floor. Galahad took courage in her response. Suddenly feeling very sober, he burned to tell her of his heart. Valeria had said long ago that Elspeth was at her most vulnerable when she spoke quietly and couldn't meet your eyes. He could hold back no longer. _

"_Elspeth, you must know that I have loved you for many years." Her eyes flew to his face, wide with her surprise._

"_You do?" _

"_Aye." He said giving her a hesitant smile and was relieved when she returned it with a shy smile of her own. He leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. When he pulled back, he could see that she was grinning. _

"_I have loved you- for longer I think than I realized it myself." She looped her free arm around his neck and pulled him in for a more passionate kiss. They pulled away breathless and gazed into each other's eyes, an understanding passing between them of the depth of each other's feelings. The moment was broken by Morwen's soft mewl from her place cradled in Elspeth's arms. "She is truly the sweetest of them all." _

"_Any other baby probably would've put up a fuss and not let us talk like this." Galahad answered, remembering watching over Gawain's and Bors' children in the past. _

"_Our lucky charm then." Elspeth said with a smile. Galahad nodded before putting an arm around her._

"Come, let's dance. The three of us." He said and Elspeth couldn't help but smile. It might not have been love at first sight for her, but she knew that what she shared with Galahad was something that would endure the test of time.

"Well, it was a little hard to believe." Elspeth said after they both relived the event in their mind's eye.

"Not really." Valeria, an ever-loyal friend supplied, causing Elspeth to blush again. They watched the ceremony in silence once more, both women pleased for Bors and Vanora. Soon the ceremony was over and the feast began.

The feast started out like many another. The main difference was every now and again someone would stand and propose a toast to the happy couple. As the night went on and everyone began drinking more and more, the toasts became a bit more bawdy; some even brought up events from long past years and mentioned long ago knights. It made for an unusual mood in the hall- part high revelry and celebration and part thoughtful introspection. It was then that Bors noticed One dancing with a young boy.

"What's that then?!" Bors asked loudly, gesturing over at his oldest. Thankfully, everyone else was loud and only those closest to Bors- Vanora, Gawain, Valeria, and Elspeth- heard his outburst.

"Looks like dancing." Elspeth said with a bit of smile at Krispin who was looking around the feast as though shocked at how badly the adults were behaving. Bors grunted in return.

"What's she doing dancing with that yance?" He grunted.

"What's this then?" Galahad asked making his way over to the table. He gave Elspeth a smacking kiss on the cheek, tickled Krispin under his chin, and then collapsed on a chair next to his wife and son.

"That nancy boy dancing with my daughter." Bors said and went to get up, only to be held down by Vanora. Bors gave her a betrayed look and Vanora rolled her eyes at her new husband.

"He's a fine lad and he's been pining after One for some time now." Vanora replied raising a brow. Bors merely grumbled in reply.

"I don't know…he looks shifty." Gawain put in where he sat looking over at One and her admirer. Now it was Valeria's turn to roll her eyes.

"You two leave her alone." She said with a slight grin at Bors' and Gawain's affronted looks. "He's a perfectly nice boy. And he made me a very nice pot the other week."

"But a blacksmith's apprentice?" Galahad asked with a skeptical look. "I always thought that One would want a warrior."

"I think that One just wants someone who can keep up with her!" Vanora said smiling as she watched her daughter dance around the floor. Being the oldest of all the children and often tasked with watching after the younger ones, One had grown to be a mature and beautiful young lady. Now, nearing seventeen, she had little patience with those who did not have strong opinions or shirked their responsibilities.

Bors, Gawain, and Galahad ignored their women and left to get more drinks. Their wives all rolled their eyes at their backs and watched as their men started drinking in earnest.

"They'll have to accept it at some point," Vanora said with a smile as she tickled Krispin. "These children are going to grow up and they will have lives and loves of their own."

"Yes, I just think they wanted to hold it off as long as possible." Valeria said sending a fond, if a bit exasperated smile at Gawain. Her husband seemed to be intent on drinking as much ale as possible as he watched his own daughters, only five and three years old respectively, as though they were about to announce they were running off to marry some Saxon warrior. The women did the only sensible thing they could do in such a situation- they ignored their husbands' immature pouting and had a good time with each other. Before long, the feast was ending and it was time for them to go home.

"Well, I suppose our pact was for naught." Elspeth said with a sigh, adjusting Krispin on her lap and watching as her husband drunkenly sang some song or other in Sarmatian with Bors at his side, the groom's head propped up on his arm and mumbling along. Valeria snorted a bit as she tried to heft Morwen and saw Gawain, head down on a table, snoring, with some sort of gravy tangled in his long hair.

"We should've known it'd be impossible to stop them once we saw One with that boy." Both women rolled their eyes. "Who would've thought that our brave Sarmatian knights feared the thought of their precious babies getting married so much?"

"I don't think it's so much the getting married part..." Elspeth trailed off raising her eyebrows. Both women chuckled a bit.

"Well, all I know is that Gawain had better wash that hair out before he comes home tomorrow." Valeria said finally getting a good handle on Morwen and nodding to a sleepy looking Lucan who was holding hands with Felix and Lucia ready to lead them back to their house.

"And Galahad had better come home tonight if he knows what good for him!" Elspeth said raising her voice so her husband could hear her. The only reply she got was a slight pause in the singing. Both women sighed before heading out into the night.

Tonight- tonight was over. The revelry surrounding Bors and Vanora _finally_ getting married had just started to wind down. Now all the original knights still living were married. It seemed like tomorrow would dawn on a completely new era of life at the Wall. Now their children were novices in battle and would have to eke out a new existence on the Island. Both women passed One who was sitting up and talking animatedly to Duncan, the blacksmith's apprentice, seemingly unaware of the late hour. As they walked up the path towards their houses, they exchanged smiles and went on their way. And the world kept turning.

**AN: So I did some research on weddings back in the day before publishing and found that it wasn't really until the 10th century that Christian weddings took place in a church and a priest didn't officiate until the 12th century. So I decided that having Arthur marry them would be appropriate. This is the last one that I really had a strong layout for so I probably won't update this story for a while...unless someone gives me a prompt :) **


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